A bottle of maple syrup. Grandma’s china. An ice skate coloured in blue. Maple leaves and Canadian flags.
These are just a few of the images captured in artist Tracy McAvity’s Tree of Life on display at the showcase Gallery in 100 Mile House.
“I used all dishes, cups and mugs, if you look closely you can see a Canadian flag and you can see skates and bears,” said McAvity. “That one actually has my grandma’s china from 1937.”
In each corner of Tree of Life is a piece of her grandmother’s teapot.
McAvity works in mosaics. Mosaic art involves using small pieces of square, round or randomly shaped tile made from a variety of materials including glass and stone to create a picture.
Each tile in the Tree of Life tells a story. What each piece is and how it’s positioned on the branch all matters. While it is easy to think the artist simply placed each piece at random there is a pattern that draws the eye from one tile to the next.
“It’s hard for me to get rid of that one. I’ve had people ask if I will sell that one. It’s dear to my heart,” she said.
A Cariboo influence is apparent in many of her pieces.
McAvity has been here since the early 2000s and finds much of her inspiration comes from just being outdoors. She spends time hiking with her dog where she sees so many birds and nature.
When she started mosaic she used a lot of pre-cut patterns and while it was fun, McAvity wanted more of a challenge. She wanted to try birds, then bears next time and then more wildlife, she said.
“It’s different when you paint. I’m not a painter but when you’re trying to reproduce realistic-looking things in glass it’s completely different, it’s way harder,” McAvity said, as a raven with iridescent feathers of black watches from the wall.
Ice Fishing with Friends could be taken from any of the lakes in the south Cariboo. Fishing huts of all sizes, shapes and colours litter the frozen landscape. If a person closes their eyes and just listens they can hear the conversation and laughter as the fishermen visit back and forth, while a tale of the one that got away grows in the telling.
McAvity has experimented with various materials over the years. She used a lot of sand in some of her earlier work and a more abstract piece of art incorporates a variety of different materials and textures.
One of her earliest pieces is Kokopelli, done in the early 2000s. In contrast with some of the other works on display, this one was made with extremely thick pieces of tile. Though simple in design, the flute-playing figure captures its origins in mythology in the American Southwest.
This is McAvity’s first solo show. She was not going to have one but Carol Munro who is in charge of the Showcase Gallery kept asking her.
“The last time she said ‘you’re having it and I’m writing your name down, that’s it,’” laughed McAvity.
The show will be on display at the South Cariboo Business Centre during regular hours of operation until Dec. 4.
